Shockwave
by Jae.O.Rae
Summary: Alternative twist to Ep. 7 Shockwave. Sam doesn't let on the true extend of his injuries. whump!Sam


**Author's Note:** This is a major major major spoiler to Season 4 Episode 7: Shockwave, considering I went step by step scenes with a lot, if not most, of the same dialogue. The twist, me being a total whump!Sam, is that Sam is, well, hurt (I could probably make any episode involve whumped Sam!). Well he's more hurt than shown on the episode. This is just a one shot, I haven't fully decided if I'm going to take a mini sequel for the hospital, post-case, at this point it's a no. So I hope you enjoy, it is the same case material, but I added more emotion side of things and cut scenes as I saw fit. This is not a deathfic!

**Format Note: **The split lines are just indicating change of scene (Although towards the end the scenes jump around too much so its a lot of mixing) and italicized conversations indicate chatter over the mic.

**Disclaimer:** I certainly did not create or own this episode or these characters, but I'm sure glad someone did.

* * *

><p><strong>Shockwave<strong>

"What's the protocol?"

"Investigate, evaluate, neutralize," responses a husky voice, "hopefully, not detonate."

"Let see what she smells," the young bomb specialist smiles before controlling his faithful machinery, 'Baby Cakes', towards the suspected location of the explosive.

* * *

><p>"Clear this room now. Your being evacuated," the forceful voice directs the multiple casualties who remain stubbornly inside one of the building's offices.<p>

"For another fire drill? No way," replies a young, brazen woman oblivious to the serious threat.

"I'm not asking you ma'am-"

"Good, 'cause I'm not agreeing," she turns her back around heading to another room.

"Hey!"

"That's what I'm talking about. They won't open the door," the panicked building security escort, Tony, indicates to the locked doors.

"I'll open it for them," the SRU officer moves quickly to a nearby trash canister and rips off the lid, before coming to a dead stop. "Spike. I found your bag."

* * *

><p><em>"You must have walked right past it," <em>Sam confuses Spike and Raf who listen in on their headset.

"Uh, we're with the package now," Raf informs Sam before a beeping from Spike's control confirms the bomb within their canister as well.

"Sam. Get those people out of here right now," Spike demands urgently.

* * *

><p><em>"There's two bombs."<em>

The moment those words are spoken Sam jumps into action by ushering Tony, "Step around the corner."

Sam makes a swift, last futile attempt to open the door by the handle before abruptly raising his gun and firing a shot into the glass of the door. Shocked people from inside let a surprised yelp to the sudden burst of commotion.

Sam easily punches his hand through the shattered glass and proceeds to open the door from the other side, "Everybody get out of here now!"

* * *

><p>Spikes machine continues to beep. "RDX," Spike confirms to Raf and get ready to leave.<p>

"Active Explosive-" Raf is cut short as the explosive detonates slamming both Raf and Spike into the nearby wall and crashing limply to the ground below.

* * *

><p>Shock waves shake the surface above as the loud explosion is heard from outside. The evacuated crowds are now in a frantic frenzy .<p>

"What's goin' on?" Greg's voice urgently asks, but receives no further reply.

"We got two separate explosions," Ed and Jules race off towards the building. "Spike, Raf, talk to me." He waits to hear a reply, but still gets nothing. "Get out of the way!" Ed shouts out to the chaotic crowd.

"Sam, Spike, Raf. Talk to me," Greg presses for a sign, reassurance, something that his team was alright. Failing to receive any indication has his gut twisted with worry.

* * *

><p>The security man looks around anxiously, taking in all the damage and the SRU members bodies laying motionless on the ground. His breathing is erratic as he hears distant coughs and moans. He's takes in all the damage blocking the hallway and makes his way into the room where his co-workers cries can be heard.<p>

His light shines onto Sam's body and another body further in. He shakes his head disbelievingly.

* * *

><p>Greg tries again. "Sam. Sam, buddy, talk to me...please," he gets no reply. He can't fathom the amount of damage inside, but those explosions sounded so loud. He only hopes his team wasn't close enough to the explosive when it went off.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Spike, Raf, talk to me. What's going on? You guys okay?" <em>Spike hears Greg's distant voice on his headset as he wakes into the dusty wrecked hallway.

"Raf? Raf, are you hurt?" He shines his flashlight to his partner who is begins to stir with a groan, "Raf, ya hurt?"

"Yeah, I'm good man. You? You okay?" Raf roughly replies as exerts himself up feeling sore from when he slammed to the wall, but no other noticeable injuries.

"I'm good..."

_"Spike! Raf!"_ Greg continues to shout out desperately into the head set.

"Boss! This is Spike. Raf and I are okay."

* * *

><p><em>"The device detonated!" <em>Finally, Greg is rewarded with his team mates voice and can't repress a relieved smile. Looks like the bombs hadn't incinerated everything to ash.

_"Significant damage. Hallway's missing," _Spike informs him on their current condition. Both bombs went off, one was near Sam. Greg is filled once again with dread, "Sam. Sam talk to me!" Still nothing.

"Raf! Go find our guy!" He nervously barks out. Who knows how close he was to the bomb went it off...

_"Copy that, " _Raf and Spike make their way down the hallway examining the damage and keeping close lookout for where Sam was last seen. Both using their flashlights to shine over the rubble on the ground as sparks fly from the ceiling of severed cable wires.

* * *

><p>"Sam, you copy?" Ed rushes down the stairwell of the building below with Jules bring up rear.<p>

"Sam...C'mon, speak to me, Sam!" Jules heart beats in worried intervals. This could not be happening.

* * *

><p>"Chief!" Greg walks over to a huddled fire crew awaiting action, "We got a 1066. Two explosions underground. Let's work together, tight perimeter around the plaza. No one gets in and we damn sure we talk to anyone who comes out." He gets a confirming reply before walking away.<p>

"Raf, you find Sam? Talk to me buddy."

_"On it boss. There's a lot of debris and a lot of smoke." _The ambulance simultaneously pulls up to the side.

* * *

><p>The smoke create clouds of smoke as Raf continues to search and calls out, "Sam?"<p>

"Sam?" Raf finds a dusty group of people clustered around, "Hey, I need everybody to move back to the wall. This could come down any second now," he shines his light to the slightly caving ceiling with multiple hanging wires. "Now move back, please."

"Sam?" He calls out as he glances around the ground, catching sight of a dark figure, "Oh man. Sam is down." He kneels down to his partners side.

"Is he breathing?" Spike questions anxiously.

"Boss, I found Sam. He's unconscious, but his pulse seems good, a bit sluggish." Sparks shower down and Raf pulls away his hand before standing up ready to assist the trapped civilians, "How many people back there? How many?"

"Uh, there's, uh, six of us," a man in a blue shirt replies protectively shielding himself from the sparks and dust. "She okay?" He directs concern for his co-work who lays underneath a heavy slab of rubble.

"Boss, we got six civilians. I got a female whose down, but she's breathing. She's trapped under this debris, boss. I-I can't move her." Raf relays the situation over to Greg.

_"Okay, we got EMS coming."_ Greg points the EMS over, _"I got my guys waiting for you."_ All his team could do was wait, "Just_ stay close, Raf."_

_"Boss, it doesn't look good," _Ed's voice breaks from inside the building where the hallway once stood. _"Ima try to get through. Jules, send the medics down my way."_

"Northeast corner is caved in. There's no way out," Spike examines the blocked off entrance.

"Boss, there was definitely a second explosion on the other end of the hall. There's so much damage down here. We are totally trapped." Raf continues to look at the extent of wreck before going over to help an injured woman.

"Two bombs? Two explosions?" Spike is taken back as his mind now fits it all together.

_"Almost on top of each other,"_ Ed adds on.

"Two bombs, almost simultaneous," Spike answers with a hint of understanding.

_"Spike, what's going through your mind?"_ Greg waits for the insight.

"Well, what's in play here? Why two bombs?" His questions are almost redundant to him.

_"Maximum damage. The second ones back up," _Greg bounces off his questions.

"The bombs they're big, but not huge."

_"Something worth targeting down there...?"_

"Well that's just it. More like they were meant to seal the hallway than to destroy anything in particular."

_"Why?"_

"That's what I'm trying to figure out-" As Spike looks for clues, he views a large postal container and reaches out only to find its sealed shut. Spike lowers his hand as his stomach leaps. He jumps to his kit nearby.

_"Forget it. Let's get you guys out of there. We can worry about a motive later."_

Spike isn't stopping, not for one second. He pulls out his hand held bomb-detecting device and scans it over the container.

_"Where'd you go, Spike? What's going on?"_ Greg prods for the latest advances.

"Bad news, boss," Spike has his gut confirmed, "There's another device and it's huge. Makes the other two look like firecrackers."

The team all stops at the unexpected news.

_"Spike, say again. There's another bomb? Another gym bag?" _Greg can't believe what he's hearing.

"I wish. We're looking at 15 meters heavy of plastique. With the hallways blocked up from the first two, this one will shoot straight up like a roman candle. The whole building could go."

Greg's stomach clenches as he looks up the towering building that has three of his men inside, _"Does it have a timer?"_

"I'm looking," Spike continues closer examination of the contents cautiously as two men from behind quietly look from a distance.

_"Raf, what kind of injuries do we have down there?" _Greg jumps to the causalities to figure out a way he can extract them.

"Mostly superficial, one serious." He moves back over to the woman trapped under the debris who still lays unconscious. "Sam is still unconscious, though."

_"'Kay, help is on the way. Just stand by."_

Jules approaches Greg, "I've organized the uni's. We're evacuating the building top down and should be clear soon."

"Okay, keep moving. We don't know how much time we're working with." He receives a brief 'okay' from Jules before she's back running. He looks around at the chaos surrounding him and finds he's at a loss of what to do. "Winnie, where's my command truck?" He barks out.

_"Seconds away, boss."_

"Eddie, how are we? We any closer to getting to our folks down there?"

_"We got a key structural wall down here that's been damaged. We pull the wrong piece of rumble and the whole thing will come down." _The fire fighter on the scene informs Ed that it will take 3 to 4 hours to safely remove the rubble. _"We got that long?"_

"Spike, what do you think?"

_"I think everybody has got to move back right now..." _Spike looks at his display of the bomb taking in the full details of how this thing ticked, quiet literally.

"Why, Spike? What do you see?" Nothing seemed to be looking up for them.

_"Timer is chemical. I can't be exact, boss, but-"_

"Can you give me a guess," Greg is urgently presses for information.

_"Maybe five minutes," _his answer has all members stunned again.

"Jules, lets clear the plaza," Jules directs the crowd away from the building with the help of other officers and medical personal. Ed grudgling tells the fire man to his way back up to the surface.

"Spike, can you get inside there and defuse it?"

"There's got to be counter measures, I do one thing wrong and-"

"Ah, yeah, okay it goes up. I get it, I get it." Greg is out of options and the pressure is frustrating. "Spike, Raf, everybody down there needs to find cover right now."

_"Due respect, but there no such thing as cover with this thing. Everybody up top has to move back right now... Ed that includes you."_

"Everyone just move back! Clear it out, all the trucks to the end of the block, Jules. Spike, what about you?" Greg is doing everything at once with no time to spare, but growing concern for his team.

_"I got a plan."_

* * *

><p>Raf tries to calm down the two men who approach him already catching on about the third bomb. The fear spreads quickly to the rest.<p>

Raf points the man in the suit, "You're building security, right? I need you to keep them calm, okay. Calm is contagious. The more together you are the better they'll be, alright? If their condition changes could you just-"

The man nods in understanding of the support he's willing to give, "Y-yeah, I'll let you know."

Raf goes over to the area where Spike is working on the bomb.

"Raf, you got some good news?" Spike is cautiously unscrewing something on top of the container.

"Guys are working on a way out." Raf looks at a red bag with white, fog-like smoke coming out, "Liquid nitrogen?"

"Yeah, bomb is armed on a classic timer, British No. 10 pencil fuze, only read about them. When our guy left it, he would've tightened this screw. It busts a glass vile that releases a chemical acid that fires it up and then-"

"Boom."

"Yeah, that's the technical term. It's brilliant, high tech bomb with an old school timer," Spike reaches over to the liquid nitrogen and uncaps the metal thermal.

"So, liquid nitrogen is going to stop the acid?"

"No, nothing is going to stop it. That's why they use this fuze. If I do this right, might slow it down."

"Buy some time."

* * *

><p>The people were now restless and anxious, even with Tony attempting to spread some ease to his fellow co-workers, the doubt in their minds didn't go away.<p>

Sam stirs with a groan from where he's been laying.

"Sir, are you okay?" Tony crouches down beside the man now making his way to sit up.

"Yeah." Sam is confused when he first opens his eyes, but the setting around him jolts him back into remembering. His head is throbbing and some part of him feels... off, but he has no time to check himself over because he has to verify everyone else is secure. "Any casualties?"

"Uh, just two ladies hurt." Sam pulls back a bit and finds his ear piece dangling down from his side. He reaches down to place it back into his ear and he grimaces at a pang of pain radiating from his left side, but he writes it off.

"Sarge, Jules..."

_"Sam, welcome back,"_ Greg is relieved to hear Sam's rough voice, but his voice nonetheless. _"Gave us hell of a scare there buddy. You okay?"_

"Sore, but all my pieces are in one place," he hopes he is anyways. He pushes his way to stand and slightly stumbles on another wave of pain from his side, luckily, Tony gives him support as he ascends. Something internally screams at him not to move, but he has others to worry about like, where were Spike and Raf?

_"Braddock, your suppose to leave the bombs for the demolition guys," _Jules lightly teases her relief in hearing her Sam again.

"I'd love to," Sam plays back the tease back to avoid any concerns. Raf approaches him and fortunately only observes his obvious head injury where blood runs down his neck.

"He's got a head wound, Boss." Raf already identifying that the blood has clotted to prevent further blood loss.

Sam turns his head away, "I'm good." Sam doesn't check his side because once he does he knows he won't like it and neither would his team mates. Probably not as serious as it feels.

_"Okay, how about those escape routes?" _Greg feels happy to know that his team is alright, even though he knows the risks are still dangerous.

"We got nothing." Raf states.

Sam is suddenly aware of the situation, "We're trapped in here?"

* * *

><p>"Boss, we got a way in. A subway ventilation shaft. I'm going to drop down 60 feet and we'll be right beside the basement hall. We blast in do a careful extraction." It was the only way left that they could manage given the circumstances.<p>

"Spike, can you buy us sometime?" Greg liked the plan, but they needed time for it to work.

_"Just did. It should slow down the acid and give us 40 minutes, maybe 45, but it would sure be nice to be somewhere else by then." _Spikes phone rings and he immediately cuts it off without sparing a glance, _"Not now, ugh."_

Ed is now set up with a harness ready to deploy down the shaft. Jules brings him the hard-entree pack that will blow through the wall when he sets it up.

Steve, the paramedic, jogs up to Jules, "Hey Jules, dispatch says you have an injured officer and a woman pinned under rubble. The officer is Sam?" Jules confirms his words with a nod. "Let me go down."

"Not going to happen, Steve," Ed shoots before Jules escorts Steve away.

"You start emptying rubble off of that woman you could kill her. I need to get down there," Steve tries to enforce the idea for him to assist, but finds it useless.

"I can't do that, Steve. If we send you down, your just another person we have to bring back up. You wanna help get on a radio and talk him through it."

Jules enters the command truck with Greg, "Hey boss, the building is clear. Uni's are doing one final sweep."

"Good work, Jules. Here's the list of the building tenants." He flips through the pages in front.

"You lookin' for a motive?"

"Without much luck. Too many companies, too many targets."

"Okay, so motive: financial, political..."

"Terrorism, grudge to settle." They were just shooting off all the possibilities that got them no where closer. No firm clues on where to even begin looking.

"...Gimme half," Jules extends out to grab a stack of papers to help scan through.

"Winnie, we need an 800 number. Get it out there TV, radio, online. Let's get all the tips together and have them send directly to you. Now, Winnie, I don't need to tell you-"

_"To make it quick, yeah I know."_

The coughing signals the trapped woman's wake. Her coughs sound struggled in more and more pain as she becomes awake. Tony makes his way beside her.

"What happened?" Her voice is confused and her breathing slightly hitches.

"Hey, shh shh. You'll be alright," he reassures her. "They're evacuating everyone."

"Oh my god, oh my god," shes finally looking around her to see the ruins. She can't believe it's real. She thought it was just another drill, not the real thing.

Tony can see her panic rising, "Hey, hey your name is Ronia, right? Ronia." She can't seem to focus and questions about her other colleagues.

"Uh, t-they're going to be fine. The police are working to get everyone out," his words fall short as the woman's face scrunches and she begins to cry. "Ronia, that's a beautiful name. It's like Ronia Queen of Jordan, right?" He tries to help her remain calm.

"Y-yeah. Just like the queen," she all but sobs out. He grabs her hand and holds it with his gently. "I can't feel my legs." She despairingly looks towards him, "I can't feel my legs."

_"Raf, I should be there," _Ed hammers on the wall to the location.

Raf's ear is against the wall as he hears the taps on the other side, "You're right on the other side, Ed. Place the charge there and we'll blast right through-"

"Not so fast!" Spike shouts from the side.

"Spike, we got nine people to pull out."

"There a motion sensor on this thing I got to deactivate it or the blast could set it off."

_"Charge is set, pull me back up. How long, Spike?" _Ed moves back to the surface to retreat to a safe distance.

"Seconds away, I just got to make sure this pin doesn't drop when the box moves," Spike tapes the pin to secure it against the container.

Raf directs the people away from the blast radius. "Take cover, now, now, now."

Sam kneels beside Ronia ready to shield her from any debris.

_"Charge is in place ready to blow. Spike," _Ed waits for Spike to give the word.

"Good to blow!" Spike hops back a few feet and rounds the corner, "But please let this be the last thing we blow up today."

_"Counting down. Five, four, three, two,... one," _Ed quickly flips the switch the second the words leave his lips.

Sam places his body over the woman, wincing as he curls defensively in towards her. Something definitely can be felt shifting in his side from the movement.

Smoke ejects from the side as the charge blasts through. Raf runs through and Sam makes his way up putting a hand to his left side. Something hard and jagged is barely poking out just around the upper part of his ribs directly underneath where his arm would lie. He continues to resist looking down at the wound and instead takes a strong inhale, regretting that action immediately as the pain shot through him. Regathering himself, he follows after Raf to the site with a small, hardly noticeable, limp.

_"Hey, uh, Sam. It's Steve, you there?" _Steve is in the command truck now on the radio with Jules next to him.

"Steve, she's too deeply buried for turning kit." His voice sounds a bit breathy.

_"Yeah, I know. I've seen the pictures you've took and I'm send down some meds. Can you set up an IV drip? Just have to keep her hydrated."_

"No problem, just get it down here," He walks over to Ronia whose still in panic, "It's okay, Ronia."

"Just get me out of here," she choke sobs out.

"Holes good, we punched through," Raf pokes his head out to look up the shaft.

_"The harness is on it's way and bringing down the meds. On it's way."_ Ed is hooking up and sending down the supplies.

"It's a long way down, it's going to take some time."

_"Nine people are down there...How much time for each person?"_ Jules calculates the time needed.

_"Up and down, maybe 3 minutes per person."_

Jules puffs out, _"My god, that's 27 minutes."_

"If you send some tools down here maybe we could cut the metal and make the hole bigger and we might be able to take this bomb right out." Raf examines the hole and the size of the container.

_"Spike, could that work?"_ Greg needs to hear from what he thinks.

"Could work. Or we could trip another counter measure and blow the bomb up early." Spike sounds skeptical of the idea.

_"Okay, but we gotta try because not everyone is going to make it."_ Jules feels the pressure of time ticking steadily, not waiting any proper solution.

"You saying I can't defuse a bomb?" Spike lashes back.

_"We are running out of time. Let's get that first civilian through the hole now. C'mon, lets go, lets go."_ Ed stunting any further arguments that would only waste time they didn't have.

_"Copy that, Eddie,"_ the calls were getting tougher as time was now of the essence.

"Alright, got the package," Raf brings the harness with the medic pack through the hole. He unlatches it and swiftly hands it over to Sam before getting ready to harness the injured young lady.

Sam grabs hold of the package slightly tipping forward with the weight. He clenches his teeth and moves back over to Ronia wasting no time.

He kneels down at her side with Tony still holding her hand. "Kay, Ronia. I'm going to put some fluids in you, okay?" He opens the package.

"You've done this before," Ronia hints on a bit of worry.

"Sure, army trained in the field. Soldiers though, they're not as tough as you are." Sam talks to her as pain rides through his body with every movement. He just needs to help this woman, he can't lose focus yet.

"Okay Tony, I need you to find something to hang this off," He hands the IV bag to the man who nods. Tony shoots Sam a wary look as he sees the young officer's hand trembling to give the bag to him, but Sam returns the look with a glare indicating the importance of right now. He grabs hold of the bag, immediately rising to search around for a descent place to hang it.

"Steve, she's shaking pretty badly," He can't help but notice that his own hand is also trembling.

_"Yeah it's shock, her organs could be shutting down. We need to start her on that IV."_

"On it." He breaths out and searches through the kit for the IV needle. Tony hooks the bag onto a metal rod conveniently curved and sticking out from near the ceiling.

A commotion from the people nearby sets off about who gets to go next with a man obviously fearful of his escape. What people will say or do to save themselves was beyond Sam. Guess that was just the self-sacrificing officer he was raised to be.

Tony gets up and walks over the situation getting out of hand, "Hey, you can take my place. Tony Comcroft, take it. I'll go last." The man thanks him with genuine thanks that reaches into his eyes.

Spike opens the lid the reveals a neon red lights. Spike stomach drops once again in disbelief, "Boss, we got more trouble."

Greg did not want to hear those words now, in fact, never again. There was too much trouble as it is and just to throw in more to the mix. _"Talk to me, Spike."_

"The guy who built this thing, did not want anyone to get their hands on it," he snaps a photo of what he's witnessing. "It's protected by infrared. I crack the glass, it detonates. I break the glass, I break the beam, it triggers immediately."

_"What about the keypad?"_

"Yup, probably shuts off the infrared. Then maybe I can crack the box and get to that fuze, but- the things a fortress, boss. I mean, I put in the wrong code uh-I-uh," he stumbles aware Greg already gets it. "I'm not going to let that happen.

Ed now hoists the second civilian out from the shaft. Two down seven more to go.

_"We got 20 more minutes before this thing goes up." _Spike informs everyone.

"The jack is coming down," Raf calls out to Sam.

Tony glances over to Sam and notices the sweaty, pale complexion of the young, blonde officer.

"You're doing great," Sam give off encourage words, which doesn't seem to work all that well, but he had to keep her going.

"Sure I am. Wanna dance?" she smiles meekly.

"Sense of humor, that's a good sign. I'll be right back, Tony will be with you," He rises up slow to head over to the hole with Raf.

Tony looks back over to Ronia and a small blood pool on the ground where Sam was catches his eye. That hadn't been there before and he didn't think it was Ronia's blood.

"He's not telling me everything," Ronia brings his attention back to her. "The reassuring smiles."

"Oh, he knows what he's doing," he attempts to convince her.

"And then what, what about my legs?"

"Doctors are minutes away."

"It's Tony, right?" She pauses to look at the man at her side, "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

Tony shakes. He doesn't know what to say or do to reassure that question. How could he certainly know the answer to that. Should he comfort her with lies? "I don't know," his features tighten and throat constricts, but Tony firmly clasps his hand with hers.

* * *

><p>"Boss, I think I got a lead on our bomber!" Jules burst in through the command trucks doors. "His name is Alexi Kanisky. Brilliant, angry, and fired. He worked at Wellen International for 3 years. They made missile guidance system. Here's his personal profile."<p>

"He was fired for selling their tech to another firm?"

"Yeah he was working on new products, heavily hands on."

"Jules, what do you think, guy like this stick around to watch the show?"

"Oh, I think he'd wanna watch the company that screwed him over come down."

_"Lets get a picture out to the uniforms. Have everyone start looking," _Ed still continued to pull out people to safety.

"Hey Spike how you doing down there?" Greg hadn't heard any good updates on the bomb in awhile.

After spraying the keypad with fingerprint lifter, Spike shines a black light over, _"Okay numbers touched 2, 4, 5, and 6- 2 and 4 both look like they were double touched. Well that narrows it down to a possible code combinations to infinity to...about half that."_

The chances of disarming continued to dwindle.

Spikes phone rings loudly bring Raf to attention as he peers around the corner. Spike answers, "Ma, you can't call- What'd ya mean? A clot..? No, hes suppose to go home today..."

_"Spike..." _Greg hears the arising trouble in Spike's conversation.

"Ma- I can't- yeah, yeah. As soon as I can..." He hangs up the phone with Raf at his side.

"What's up bro?"

"My dad, uh, their saying he probably won't make it through the night."

"We clear the civilians and your first up-"

"No! This is my call and this is a drill okay. I'm last man out." Raf can't debate with Spike over the issue and walks back over to help the people out.

His phone rings again as Winnie informs the team that the picture of Alexi Kanisky has been sent to each member. Spike stops, "Boss, I think they can call off that search... Sam check your PDA."

Sam hears Spike's voice on the headset and he begins to struggle to dig out his PDA. The pain is immense now and his hand won't stop shaking. He's hoping that no one notices how hard it is for him to keep moving now. He finally clenches around his PDA and pulls it out looking down at the screen.

He's faced with "Tony" displayed on his screen and he glances over just to confirm identification.

"The bomber has been down here with us this whole time," Spike is now looking over to their subject.

* * *

><p>The three members group together, "We got the guy who made the bomb right here. Let's just-" Sam waves his good hand out.<p>

_"Kay, we can't confront him." _Greg weighs the options.

"We need him. I need him," Spike can't defuse the bomb without the code which only the creator would know.

_"Go, go, we're running out of time. Let's go, let's move." _Ed keeps on motivating a quick evacuation.

"Let's convince him to defuse the bomb," Sam has trouble coming up with any logically better ideas and can hardly think over the loud pounding throughout his head.

_"What if he has a detonator,"_ Greg couldn't take that risk with his team and civilians below.

"Then he just blows it up early..." Spike nods.

"Then convince him at gun point," God, Sam can't talk for much longer, it's taking a lot of energy out of him. Energy he needs to save Ronia.

"Boss is right, you can't risk that," Spike notices a sweat on Sam's forehead and makes a face. It was hard to see clearly in the dark and he concludes it's probably just the heat of the situation and possible blood loss from his head wound.

_"We've got 12 minutes before the bomb goes off and two more civilians."_

"Yeah including Ronia and we're almost ready with the gate, just need to jack up the rubble."

_"Let's do it."_

Sam give a slight nod before make his best walk back over without giving off the sign. It would only waste time if they fussed over him and they'd send him straight up without helping Ronia.

"It's here," the man called out to the SRU team when the jack arrived down.

"Tony, I need your help. We're going to jack this up, okay. When it starts rising I need you to find rock, concrete, anything and jam it in and make sure it doesn't fall." Sam told him the procedure and he was glad he was receiving help otherwise he wouldn't be able to do it.

"Okay," 'Tony' followed Sam's words and was preparing himself into position.

Spike stood their pondering, "Why is this guy helping us? I think he wanted to destroy the building, not hurt anybody. Those first two bombs were set 10 minutes before this one was. He wanted people to get out of the building. Bet he was trying to get people out of the server room and now he's helping us."

It did make sense, _"Alright, we don't tip our hand until Ronia is out."_ Greg didn't want anything to go down with her still inside.

"Got it."

Greg glances at the time. They have about 10 minutes left and five people still down there. The time left would leave 2-3 people down there still. No doubt his team would be last. Greg sat their hoping for something.

* * *

><p>They begin to lift the slab off of Ronia with the jack slowly. Sam painstakingly lays down on the ground next to Ronia as he carefully watches the jack inflate. Ronia cries out softly in pain as her crushed legs regain feeling and immense pressure.<p>

"Almost there," Sam whispers to her as well as himself. Finally, she's released and Spike grabs the IV. 'Tony' makes his way to Ronia's side and offers more assistance by sliding Ronia out with Raf. Sam struggles his way to his knees and takes the bandages out of the kit.

_"Now the most important thing. Get a turning kit on each leg,"_ Steve instructs Sam.

He proceeds to tightly wrap around her legs.

"She's not bleeding..." Raf notices as her legs are looking fairly dry.

"It's not the blood loss, it's what her body was producing when she was being crushed. Phosphorous and potassium, if they get into her circulation her kidneys can fail." Sam finishes off the tie and sinks back down to his heels again. "Alright. Ready." That took more effort than what felt needed.

Sam faces downward as he scrunches his face in agony as he moves his arm underneath her body with Raf on her other side. Raf is carefully inspecting Sam's face now that looks tired, somewhat pale, but again it was hard to tell in the dark smoke of the room. They gingerly lift her weight off the ground, being very cautious around her legs. Sam almost can't believe that he was able to stand with her, but makes his way over the hole shuffling his feet.

Spike looks over at the subject and genuinely smiles, "Thank you. So your next couple more minutes and you'll be out of here." He purposely pushes his kindness to guilt trip the man and even to gain a bond he can later use to his advantage.

"None of this should have happened..."

Spike could hear the guilt already, "I couldn't agree with you more, but thank you for all your help today." He continues to make eye contact.

"You three should go next, I-I have no family. I'll go last-"

"No, I can't let that happen. We got rules protecting life." Spike professionally states and moves slowly into the back behind the subject.

Sam and Raf have her secured and ready for lift.

"Hey, Sam," Ronia weakly speaks, "Thank you, for getting me this far." Before he head droops forward.

"Hey- Ronia? Ronia! Get her up Ed, go, go, go." He unconsciously catches himself using the wall for support.

"No matter how long I'm a police officer, calls like this are always hard." Spike is already making the move on the subject, "Thing is, I don't think anybody was suppose to get hurt today. What do you think?" It was time to test him, push him to maybe admit that harming anyone was unintentional, as a perfect scenario would go.

"I don't know..." The sorrow filled reply doesn't sound one bit convincing, and even Kanisky knows it.

"Nobody is suppose to die like this. Nobody is suppose to have their work destroyed."

"Tony," Sam calls out in a voice he hopes sounded forceful. Raf and Sam both have their guns raised to insure Kanisky doesn't try anything hasty. The subject already knows what to expect as he turns around to confirm it.

"Alexi. Alexi Kanisky..." Spike treads softly to develop some sort of connection.

"You know who I am..."

"I know your the only man who can help me. We know what happened at Wellen."

"I can't help you... I won't help you..."

"Then, your killing all of us," Spike knows deep down this guy never wanted to hurt anyone, but he also can feel the mans grief and anger toward the company that fuels his motive.

"Then we die."

* * *

><p>The last victim, Ronia, ascends to the surface with her limp body dangling from the harness. Ed, along with paramedics stand adjacent already gently placing her body on a gurney.<p>

Ed quickly returns the harness down into the hole informing that Raf is next to follow up.

_"Paramedics are taking care of Ronia. Raf, coming down to ya,"_ Raf glances at Sam who almost looks like he might topple over.

Raf shakes his head, "Nah man, Sam is hurt, he's next."

"Seniority. I stay you get out of here," Sam immediately forces his word back to present that he's still in order. He straightens up a bit more realizing his body language must give off vibes of being weak or unstable that even Raf saw him as unfit. Sam knows he's running out of time, but if he goes...What if Raf and Spike don't make it in time? Raf had only just started and was still new on the SRU team and Spike with his dad. He wanted to hope that there would be enough time for them all to get out, but he couldn't risk it. The wound is at his left side, away from his partner's sight, so it's most likely still concealed; otherwise, it would've been hell of a lot harder to fight against Raf and Spike with blood steadily seeping down soaking into his clothes.

"Guys we don't have time for this. The harness is here," Spike needed to get the bomb sorted, but he couldn't do that with his team still down here.

_"Raf. Now!"_ Ed's commanding tone would not be challenged, _"We only have a few minutes."_

"I will see you two up top," Raf hastily gets the harness strapped around him ready for lift.

"Yup," Spike tries not to sound so overstressed, not that he's given up hope.

_"Spike, two months after Kanisky left, Wellens stock jumped. They made a big announcement about new technology- a break through in missile control. He didn't sell company secrets, they framed him and then froze him out."_ Spike listened to the new from Jules. Framed.

"You found out Galina worked didn't you? Those failures in the field, those were all lies. Your idea was making the company millions." Spike ran the statement to Kanisky waiting for an elaboration.

"I kept trying to prove it in court, but who am I to men like that? They just took it..."

"And this is your way of taking it back."

Sam attempted to stay up to speed with the conversation, but his focus was already slipping and the rest of his body was shaking and every breath was harder than the last.

"I gave everything to them..." Alexi could feel the betrayal all over again.

"Well then don't give them your life! Tell me how to defuse the bomb!"

"I can't let them win," he was determined, pushing the guilt and doubt down.

* * *

><p>Raf's dust covered body emerges from the hole, quickly greeted by emergency personal and Ed hoisting him out. He makes a swift release from the harness and is moved away by Ed telling everyone to leave now. Hesitantly, he back steps before taking off towards the rest of the evacuated crew.<p>

Ed lowers the harness back down, "Spike we're running out of time. After Sam, it's you!"

_"If Kanisky doesn't give up the code, he's not going to make it," _Greg hates to even say anything like that, but it was true with the time restriction.

_"If that's what he's going for..." _Spike knows the risk.

* * *

><p>Sam body is protesting he can't leave Spike down here, heck he doesn't even think it's physically possible for him anymore.<p>

"Spike, c'mon-," he struggles to use his voice steady and he shakily reaches to grab hold of the harness, "go see your dad. He's not going to give it to...you."

"No, Sam. You need to-" Sam's body sways and he grips onto the wall before sliding down with a bloody trail smeared in its path from his glove. Spike instantly jumps forward to Sam's side, eyes bulging on the blood. Was his head bleeding again?

"Sam! Sam, whats wrong? Your head is bleeding again?" Spike was urgently scanning over Sam's sweaty, clammy face that twisted in pain.

"S-sorry, Spike. Y-you need to g-go man," Sam voice gurgles and jerkily he moves his hand to the left side where blood is now gushing out. When his body had been lying prone the metal shard was stunting the blood, but moving so much most likely helped slowly saw around to further open the wound.

"Nonono! No, Sam!" Spike was full on frenzied as he witness the blood dribbling across Sam's glove and the puddle developing below. Alexi stood in shock as he saw Sam's hand shakily gripping onto his side and Spike's tone of agony in the words he spoke.

_"Sam! Spike! What's going on down there,"_ Ed could hear a problem, but they hadn't described what. His heart was felt like it probably was ticking rhythmically with the bomb below his feet.

_"Sam! Spike, is everything okay with Sam?"_ Jules frightened tone burst asked.

Sam swallowed hard in pain just from hearing Jules voice. He finally dropped all control he had and his breath was now audibly labored. "Spike-" He grounds out.

"Alexi!" Spike swings around, "what's the code? Please, tell me the code!"

"My mother she died and everything she gave me, all her dreams, Brav took that away."

"Your mother wouldn't want you to die or kill for that," Spike swung his arm towards Sam who struggled to breath. He had to push on gentle, but time-!

"You would die for what you do. So tell me, what's the difference?"

_"Spike! We have to get Sam and you up here now! He won't give it to you, get up now!"_ Greg didn't know what happened to Sam, but he gathered it was critical and Spike wouldn't leave another man behind.

Sam groaned as he propped himself up against the concrete wall. Eyes threatening to close as they drooped down warily. His chest tight and throbbing with every breath.

"You ever blow stuff up as a kid?"

"Smoke volcanoes."

"Baking soda and vinegar. For me, it was fireworks. My dad hated it, always worrying."

"Same as my mother..."

"He thought that one day it would turn me into a scientist, chemist, something he could be proud of. Something safe. One day, he came home and caught me mixing camping fuel, bleach-"

"Citric acid." Kanisky nodded all to familiar with the mixture.

"Yeah, that's a great explosion," Spike's mind was on Sam, but he had this gut feeling if only he could just gather the right information he would find the clue to unlocking the keypad and defuse the situation. "The thing is I didn't do it right and I burnt myself pretty bad. I was nine years old."

"Did you stop making bombs after that?"

"No, but I learned how to do it right. And then later on, I learned how to take them apart, because I didn't want to see people get hurt. I didn't want anyone to see the look I saw in my dad's eyes."

"_SPIKE!"_

"You built a beautiful bomb, Alexi. It's perfect, it's beautiful. I can't stop it, but I don't want to see you or my friend die. Maybe you'll see your mother again..." Spike shied away for a moment then turned back, "What was her name?"

"...Galina," Alexi smiled softly at his mother's name.

Spike jumped over, "Galina...Boss, the code is Galina!" He was already running his way over to the ticking bomb. "It's alpha numeric like a phone! Quick what were those numbers again in alpha-numeric!" Alexi was taken back.

_"Buddy, buddy what are you doing? Spike!"_

"If Galina is the code then I can disarm the infrared and get rid of the detonator!"

Spike frantically counts the order of the alphabet on his fingers, with his colleagues continuous yelling for him to get a move on. He couldn't leave Sam or this guy here to get blown up. It was his job.

"G is four- four." He punches the digit on the keypad.

_"Spike! There's no time!"_

"A- A is two..Am I right?" He glances at Alexi, who stands behind watching with awe at this bomb experts intelligence and determination, and Spike pushes the two having a gut feeling that it was correct.

"L. L is five. I is four. N...Boss, what's N? Boss, N."

_"2, 4, 5, 6, with a keys 2 and 4 double tapped. Eddie you get out of there," _Greg can't lose three of his men, but he knows Spike won't lose any if he continues to work like he is. Still the risks were sky high, with a minutes, maybe even seconds left on the bomb and Sam in a condition unknown, but unsettling.

"Am I right! N is 6? Am I right?" He turns to Alexi wanting to hear the help he knew he could offer, "Please, please help me. Please. Help me! ...Help me," Spike pleads for his assistance.

Alexi clenches his fist, "...It's 6, then 2."

Spike swiftly punches the last two and the red light shuts off. "IR is down. I'm opening the box!" Spike had never moved his ass this fast in his life

_"Spike, you got it?" _The pressure was high on everyone, even if their lives weren't on the line, Spike and Sam's were, and Greg could only stand by waiting for the word inside the truck.

"No, I got to get the fuse out," Spike hands a tool over to Alexi, "help me."

By this point, Alexi gives in completely willing to give a hand defusing the destructive bomb he created. Kneeling down on the other side with screw driver at hand, he makes haste to remove the clear box lid.

_"Spike! Eddie you get out of there right now, right now!" _

_"60 seconds. I'm not leaving them down there,"_ Ed wanted to nail his feet to the spot, and would if he had had a hammer and nails. Greg knows how hardheaded, strong willed, determined each one of his SRU officers were and knowing that also made it difficult to pull them out of risky situations like these.

"Ed, one man down range. One man down range," Spike knew Sam was nearby, but the rule still applied as he was working on defusing the situation and Sam was waiting further help.

_"Spike..." _Ed ripped himself away, slowly walking backwards from the hole that he hoped his two team members would emerge from soon. He takes off in the opposite direction to where the police and paramedics are huddled.

Spike and Alexi remove the top two screws. The two effectively begin to the last bottom screws, the ones that trap the bomb still inside.

'Oh, Spike. Sam' Jules nervously drove back to the scene praying to find it still there and not blown off the grid. God, she hoped Spike could pull this off, please. Spike and Sam had to come back in one piece, alive, and ready for more SRU action.

"Almost there. Grab the detonator and stop the bomb!" Spike could do this. His heart beat thumped rapidly in his chest when both the bottom screws clatter to the floor indicating the lid was now ready to remove. He wanted rip it off, but restrains himself and carefully extracts the lid with Alexi.

Spike practically jumps forward to grab hold of the increasing beeping detonator holding the weapon in his hands. He stands to throw it a good distance in a clear open space away from all bodies. Promptly the detonator combusts with a small bang and flame, but nothing of the potential it held moments ago.

Both Alexi still shield themselves away. Spike's adrenaline is pumping through his body crazily from all the boiled tension, but now relief floods over him as he lays back against the wall.

"Bomb defused." He gives an appreciative look toward Alexi who smiles and nods back.

The words are golden to the teams' ears. They didn't realize how fast their hearts were racing until Spike subdued the situation. What a marathon this had been for every member.

_"Let's get 'em out of there. Let's get them out," _Ed's eyes light up as he sprints back to the ventilation shaft with team close in pursuit.

_"Spike,"_ Jules hesitantly spoke, _"Where's Sam-?"_

As soon as Sam's name is mentioned, Spike leaps again to his feet running back over to his friend.

His body is so still with his face so white it stops Spike in his tracks. No, it wasn't true. Spike's mouth is agape as he reaches a hand out to Sam's neck checking for a pulse.

As soon as he touches Sam's cold, pasty white skin, Sam's eyes flutter, "I-I'm not d-d-ead, yet."

Spike gives a cocky-but-really-worried, yet reassuring, smile, "Hey buddy, you're not going to be dying. Bomb is defused so we can get help down here and patch you right up. Just need you to hold on and stay with me for awhile longer."

Sam felt like he took over Ronia's position. Now he was just as helpless and requiring medical assistance to get out. But at least the bomb wasn't a threat anymore and Spike and everyone would be safe.

"Y-you need t-to go sss-ee your d-dad." A cough itched the back of his throat and, as much as he tried to suppress it, emerged with a gurgle. His body jerked slightly forward, hitching a hissed breath. His mouth filled with so much liquid that drooled out of his from his lips. He began to feel embarrassed that he was drooling in such a situation, until he could taste the coppery substance.

"I need a medic now!" Spike shouted out into his receiver. He didn't know exactly what he should be doing right now as he held onto Sam's shoulder, careful not to inflict pain, but firmly.

_"Hey, this is Steve again. What's happening to Sam? Describe the injury location."_

Spike's eyes roll over to Sam's, signalling what he's going to do before he moves over crouching at his left side, then raises up Sam's arm onto his shoulder. When his arm is up, a large gash is revealed with a thick metal piece gleaming inside. Spike grimaces.

"The wound looks about 2- 2 and a half inches long on Sam's left upper side. There's a lot of blood now, we never saw it before. He's got a-" Spike tentatively moves his hand towards the wound to feel the large shard, "thick, jagged metal shard protruding out. There's no telling how deep it went in."

Sam releases another wet cough which brings up more blood to dribble out over his chin.

"Guys, we need help now! He's got some blood coming out of his mouth," Spike nervously shifted, but could already hear the harness descending back down.

_"Not good, he must have a puncture lung. Moving him can be very dangerous right now with the metal in place; however, removing the shard will cause him to bleed out even faster."_

_"Well, we have to get him out now!" _Jules voice frantically pulled for a solution, _"the longer he's down there only worsens his condition. We bring him up with paramedics standing by ready to deliver him to the nearest hospital."_

Steve still didn't like the thought of moving him, especially in the harness, but it was all they had to run on right now and she was right, time was short. Sam had been actively moving and exerting his body working with Ronia, that his body was now collapsing fast.

The harness delivered Ed down, who directly unlatched himself to assist Sam. His eyes quickly skimming the scene of where his men had been trapped until he landed onto Sam and Spike. Spike was close at Sam's side who was propped up against the wall. Quickly kneeling, Ed softly shined his flashlight over Sam, now witnessing the blood smears and trails on his lips and chin.

"Hey, Sam." Ed tried to remain his same old self, hopefully providing some comfort void of any of the panic he was feeling.

Sam blinked owlishly a couple times looking confused before seeing Ed figure. "H-hey," he choked out.

"We gotta get you topside, buddy. So we need you to stay with us so we can get you harnessed." Ed nodded towards Spike. They couldn't waste anymore time and needed to get Sam to the paramedic's aid.

Ed and Spike wrapped their arms under Sam's arms and behind his back.

"Alright, Sam. On three. One, two, three," both carefully lifted Sam who let out a pained groan and sharp exhales to ride over the discomfort. They began to all awkwardly maneuver over to the hole where Alexi stood with the harness pulled in while Sam feebly tried to support himself, but ended up mostly using Ed and Spike.

All of his energy now drained with his vision going hazy. He just needed to endure it a little longer.

When they got to the harness it was a struggle to get Sam positioned right. By first rotating him to face the right direction with his back towards the hole. So Spike and Ed worked carefully to move him. Sam really pushed to help, trying to move his body as much as he could, but his foot twist under a piece of rubble causing him to slip over into Ed. Ed caught Sam, but a yell immediately erupted from Sam when Ed's hand bumped the metal inward.

Everyone on the ear piece could hear the choked yell and each withered in the agony.

Spike, Ed, and Alexi stopped in place like statues, as if the slightest move would elicit more pain.

"You okay, Sam?" Ed asked, obviously regretting such a stupid answer, but wanting to know if they could continue to move. He could already feel blood seeping into his glove.

"Mmm-'eah," Sam couldn't say much else with the pain still coursing throughout his body.

They finally placed Sam so they could easily attach the harness. It took less than a minute to secure the man, "Okay, we're ready. Pull up nice and slow," Ed told the fire man controlling the lift who listened on the radio. The machine started pulling the steel cables that hooked up to the equipment that gradually lifted Sam off his feet and out of the hole.

"Nice and steady. Be careful," Ed poked his head out watching as Sam made his way up. There wasn't much movement from the dangling man which concerned Ed as he continued on looking. The machine jerked softly a couple times.

"Easy now-" Ed felt a wet splash on his cheek and immediately retreated back. He looked towards Spike and whipped his face to look down at his bloody glove. Spike's wide eyes looked at the bloody smear left on Ed's face which sent both terrifying shivers through their spines.

"You guys gotta hurry, make sure those paramedics get him right away!" Ed looked back out the hole to see Sam closer and closer to the white light of the exit. He bit his lip as Sam's head hung limply forward.

This definitely was the worse. Being forced to hang back below just watching and unknowing to the action up top. So all three waited.

* * *

><p>Jules now stood close to the shaft's entrance with Steve beside her. She peered down and could begin seeing the top of Sam emerging and her heart leaped to her throat. As he got closer and closer she could now see the blood that stained his blonde hair and caked onto his pale skin was already making Jules legs feel like jell-O.<p>

She swallowed firmly, waiting what seemed like eons for him to reach the top. When he did though, it didn't dampen her uneasiness, but instead set a flame of agony inside her, burning her within her trembling body. He seemed so lifeless with body limply dangling and his sweaty, pale complexion splashed with bright, crimson blood on his mouth, but his features still remain twisted in pain. Could someone die with such an expression?

No, he wasn't dead.

Everything blurred as she stood by as paramedics grabbed hold his body pulling him to the surface's edge. They quickly unhooked him and laid him flat onto a gurney before racing off while simultaneously rushing through his vitals. Jules felt glued to the spot , but her eyes were latch onto Sam's body which raced further and further away, until he was out of her sight into an ambulance that sped away.

She brought her hand to her trembling mouth only to feel a warm, wet substance. She moved her hand in front of her face to bare witness to the blood on her hand. It was Sam's, but when had she touched him? She never realized that she must have assisted in unharnessing him.

Greg grabbed onto her shoulder which jolted her back. He squeezed her into him for a moment, silently closing his eyes. Raf standing next to them, feeling their concerns and even though he hasn't been on the team for long, he also shared their pain, worried feelings.

Spike emerges from the hole next and swallowed a thick lump when he sees Jules' stress sunken features. But she still manages a soft smile to his presence.

Both Greg and Raf help Spike out of the hole and harness.

Once Spike's feet touched the ground Greg pulled him in for a brief, but strong hug. "You did good," He whispers into Spikes ear before pulling away. Spike nods, eyes still reflecting the days hardships. This day was difficult, like the day when Jules got shot or when Lewis died, because whenever one of their own was hurt, it's impact dug deep into the whole team.

Spike pulled Jules into a firm side hug wishing to relieve her pain, but knew he couldn't. He looked back to the team, Ed last to emerge out, "I got go..." Everyone understanding where Spike needed to be, by his dad's dying side. "Update me on Sam, when you guys get there. I'll join you guys when I can," Sam was like family to him, but his parents needed him and he knew the rest of the team would be at Sam's side.

Everyone nodded and clapped him on the back as he started to run towards his vehicle. He glanced over to see Alexi and flashed a brief 'thank you' smile. Without him, they probably wouldn't be here now, and he wouldn't have been able to see his father or mother. That thought scared him, but he was safe now and nothing happened, Sam had to be alright.

He would be alright.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Reviews are sosoosoooo very much appreciated. I eat that stuff up, so make me a full and happy person!


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